Aborn To NRA: ‘Solution Is Not To Engage In An Arms Race’

Citizens Crime Commission President Richard Aborn is the first (in New York) out with a statement in response to the NRA’s press conference this morning, at which Wayne LaPierre, the group’s executive vice president, said the best way to prevent another Sandy Hook tragedy is to post armed guards in every school in America.

“The NRA’s shameful self-victimization is both tone deaf and shocking in the face of 20 dead children,” Aborn said. “They’re (sic) response to this tragedy is to delay, distract, and deny the problem.”

“Responsible gun owning and non-gun owning Americans understand that the lax regulation of firearms must be addressed now. We need to reduce the firepower by banning assault weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines, closing the gun show loop-hol, and making sure that the mentally ill do not have access to firearms. These are real solutions to a real problem. The solution is not to engage in an arms race.”

The NRA waited an entire week after the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut before making any public statements. Initially, the nation’s largest gun rights organization – 4 million members strong – had said it would make “meaningful contributions” to the debate that was sparked by this incident, which some hopefully interpreted as a sign that it was prepared to engage in a conversation about stricter gun control laws.

Obviously not.

Aborn served from 1992-1996 as the president of Handgun Control Inc. (now the Brady Campaign) and was a principal strategist behind the passing of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act as well as the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which expired in 2004. He also served as the president of the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence.

The Crime Commission manages a database of significant mass shootings in America (defined by the FBI as at least 4 victims killed), all of which involve previously banned weapons. The database, which can be viewed here, catalogues 24 major recent incidents, with detailed information about the weapons, magazine capacity, and circumstances of the shooting itself.